The present invention relates to a sheet and stack feeding mechanism and more particularly to a mechanism for accumulating sheets in a stack and discharging them as a stack.
In present high speed sheet feeding mechanisms, sheets are fed one by one to an accumulating area where sheets accumulate in a stack. When a certain number of sheets have been deposited in the stack, the entire stack is moved out of the accumulating area to another machine or to another portion of the machine. In current sheet feeding mechanisms, printed sheets are subject to being smudged when they are moved out of the accumulating area. This is especially true if transport belts are used in the accumulating area to move the sheets and stack into and out of the accumulating area. Furthermore, the mechanism for removing the entire stack out of the accumulating area usually must be adjusted in order to accommodate stacks of different thicknesses. In addition, it is sometimes desirable to feed and stack the sheets in the accumulating area one below the other. In existing machines, it has been difficult to do this without readjusting the entire machine. Moreover, existing machines, do not have the versatility of permitting sheets to be accumulated one on top of the other or one beneath the other.
The present invention overcomes these difficulties and has one its objects the provision of an improved sheet feeding mechanism in which a stack of sheets can be easily moved out of the accumulating area.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved sheet feeding mechanism in which a stack of sheets may be easily moved out of an accumulating area without smudging.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved sheet feeding mechanism in which the same mechanism can be used to move stacks of sheets of various thicknesses out of the accumulating area.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved sheet feeding mechanism in which sheets can be accumulated in an accumulating area one under the other.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved sheet feeding mechanism which can be easily converted to feed and stack sheets one beneath the other or one above the other.
Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to described, or will be indicated in the appended claims and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.